Compost Teas: 24 hour, EM, IM, BD & fermented plant extracts

[m.norsen AT attbi.com]

Scott and all about DO2 meters  Before the meter, happy, 
but dumb?  Yes the meter can ruin your family life until 
you get it and brewer under control.  Not having a meter 
does not prevent anaerobic tea.  Having a meter does not 
prevent anaerobic tea.  Having a meter and not having it 
or the brew under conrol may destroy martial bliss.  

None of this is news.

The meter-  be ready to let the meter settle down before 
you start to tweek it or use it.  Dry and exposed to air 
it takes 5 to 15 + minutes, seems like forever to settle 
down when first turned on.  Then calibrate. Then use. If 
the probe stays static in CT for a few minutes bacteria 
or fungi or crud builds up on the probe which then 
returns a depressed O2 reading.  Its gotta move rather 
briskly in the CT to get a good reading.  A reading of 
3.0 static can raise to 5.+ with brisk movment.  

You are probably ahead of me on this. I hope so.  

The CT will go anaerobic in spite of all you can do if 
you over load the nutrients.  I think Carol Eddington 
and others who have worked with CT have reported that 
less is better.  

Crowding a lot of tea base (compost) and nutrients will 
look good during the early hour or so of a brew, but 
when the bacteria begin to thrive and begin to reach the 
numbers you want if there is still a lot of nutrition 
left they will use O2 faster than typical brewers can 
furnish it.  Faster than water can absorb from LOTS of 
aeration activity.  At least I think that is what cause 
a couple of my brews to go down in O2.  

Finally there are many things about CT that I have yet 
to learn so consider all of those and tell me if these 
ideas helped.  Jeffs "list" is a learning experience.

Regarding talking to your friend about CT,  always mask 
your true frustration with joy and optimism mixed with 
great stuff  and flowers you bring her, with evident 
love, from your garden. Don't mention that CT did it.  
Let her guess.